Song: “The Great Exchange”
Artist: Thrice
Album: Beggars (2009)

[Verse 1]
I crewed on a fair golden ship that
Went down at the dawn of the world
We mutinied and sentenced our captain to die
‘Fore our sails had barely unfurled

[Verse 2]
We sand shortly after our riot
Wanton flame and our powder kegs met
While I swam for my life there came voices aloft
Joyful, unearthly and dread

[Chorus]
Singing of a violent
Tireless mystery
That one would give his life to
Save his enemy

[Verse 3]
Too bone-tired to keep my arms moving
To swim or even grasp after straws
The undertow drew me down into its cold and infinite indigo jaws

[Chorus]
I heard singing of a violent
Tireless mystery
That one would give his life to
Save his enemy

[Verse 4]
I thought I must be dead or dreaming
When my captain, still battered, betrayed
Pulled me up, laid me over the beam he’d clung to
Breathed his last and sunk under the waves

[Outro]
Your body is a bridge
Across an endless sea
Your body is a bridge
Across an endless sea

“The Great Exchange”, by the band Thrice, encapsulates the tone of the album it comes from. Bluesy with a somber flow, the track evokes the waves of which the lyrics speak. Singer Dustin Kensrue’s unique voice croons an allegory that references the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. However, though the connection and allusion are present, the song isn’t in itself overtly religious. It tells the story of a ship’s crew that commits a mutiny, and sinks shortly after. While the character sees the ship sinking and begins to drown, they are saved by the very captain they betrayed. The captain sinks to his death as the character ponders his sacrifice. Lyrical intent aside, the bass and drums in this song truly stand out, with moving lines and ghost notes on the drummer’s snare creating a warmer sound.

My vinyl copy of Beggars; released in 2009.

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